Chapter 13.5
Soooo, this is not chapter 14, rather an appendix, I had to tie some loose ends after all.
A little something that show how other people (not all, some) might see Lena inside this strange universe
13 minutes after the battle, Illium, factory's outskirts
There actually was an infirmary inside this goddesses forsaken factory complex; a small, hidden room complex left untouched by the ravages of the precedent battle. Clearly not hidden for the Asari, considering how quickly they reached it.
The place in question was a small, secluded complex placed far from the main body of the now ravaged factory; a small complex of rooms left untouched by the previous battle and showing the Asari's symbol of medicine and first aid. The metal doors appeared closed shut and the place itself abandoned, as any place where a bunch of mercenaries are currently fighting a war should be.
That gave Lena the small hope of dusting off this annoying wanna-be savior and finally be on her way.
"Do not be worried" preceded the asari clerk before Lena could actually speak "Sheir is still inside, waiting for me, and will immediately open the door the moment I will identify myself."
-I was hoping for the complete opposite.- groaned Lena to herself, but still allowed the clerk to drag her away.
There was a small intercom next to the door, and the clerk quickly reached it and pressed some buttons in what clearly was a designed combination. Less than five seconds later the metal doors of the complex opened without a sound and a troubled looking asari come out to greet Lena's companion in quite the way. This Sheir were clearly more that simple acquaintances, unless kissing your friend in the mouth was some kind of tradition inside Asari's societies.
"Alina! Oh goddess" Shouted Sheir to her companion "I was so worried about you! Cursed that bitch of the proprietary for forcing you to accompany that bunch of thugs. I heard so many shots and.."
Finally Sheir noticed that Alina was not alone.
"You...you" said Sheir in utter disbelief, something that surprised a bit Lena: the asari was looking at her with a mixture of surprise and...awe? Lena was not sure about the latter, but this was clearly not the reaction she had expected
"She saved me" quickly said Alina to her lover "The mercs I was forced to tour around the factory, their leader tried to kill me. I am still alive only thanks to her but she got wounded in the process. Can you help her?"
Professional conduct finally kicked in after hearing this. The Asari quickly activated her omni-tool and moved toward the wounded Claymore.
"May I?" she asked. Lena huffed but nodded
The omni-tool blipped and chirped, and soon a stream of data flowed inside the machine's display
"According to my omni-tool, most of your ribs are off place and your hands… half of the digits are broken or dislocated. What in the goddess's name hit you?"
"Unimportant!" quickly answered an annoyed Lena "I just need a quiet place where to mend this mess. Do you have a spare bed or something?"
Sheir looked at Lena as if she was insane
"A bed? You need medi-gel, heavy medications and to be checked for at least two weeks, miss! Do you really desire to"
"Sheir" Lena interrupted the girl with one firm tone "Look at this."
The Claymore moved her wounded hand in front of Sheir's face
"Miss, I do not" began Sheir, only to be stopped by seeing the impossible: Lena's broken fingers started twitching madly in front of her, rebuilding themselves in less than seconds! Shattered bones reattached themselves, broken ligaments moved back to their original places and ripped skin regenerate in the blink of an eye. It happened only on two digits and it clearly strained the still exhausted Claymore, but the message was clear.
"I just need a place to rest and regenerate." finished Lena "And maybe something to drink. That is all."
"I...i...the skin, the bones...how...what?!" said a flabbergasted Sheir in front of Lena. Thankfully Alina was ready to help her.
"Sheir, she just need a quiet place. Is there something wrong with that? The patient rooms are all empty, right? She can rest and recuperate here."
Sheir for a moment did not respond, she could not respond. Her face was still fixated on Lena's right hand, the same hand that somehow now possessed at least two fully functional fingers.
"Ok...you know what? I will neither make any question nor try to understand what I just witnessed. You saved my bond mate and this is enough for me. Come inside."
an hour later
A comfy bed, a room all for herself, some refreshment placed next to her and the blissful experience of being alone. Lena had to give this to both Sheir and Alina, they really knew how to treat a guest like her! The blankets, the bed itself, the sensation of comfort after a long, hard fought battle, even an old warrior like Lena could not resist under such an assault. Next to the bed her Claymore, gently resting on the wall, was waiting for her owner to grab it once again alongside her now partially ruined armor. Another unexpected act of gentleness from her hosts.
One hour had already passed after that dreadful battle against Enyala, her goons and that small army of Eclipse mercenaries, but now Lena could finally properly regenerate her broken body.
First the fingers, then the ribs; all of her broken bones slowly knitted back together while ruptured flesh mended itself without leaving a single scar.
-Another sprinkle of yoki and….done.- thought Lena after repairing the last bone. Carefully the Claymore stretched her now healed bones, checking for any lingering damage.
Fractures were, after all, the most annoying type of wound to mend for a Claymore.
-Fingers ok. Ribs ok. It will take some time to get used to them as always, but I am finally combat operative once again. About damn time.- reasoned Lena satisfied
The Claymore allowed some more minutes for herself after the healing, but in the end she finally moved up, grateful for the Asari's hospitality but desiring only to come back to Raina.
She knew where to find the Asari's couple: this infirmary was fairly small and, apart from a small cluster of rooms for the patients, a supply depot and an office for the doctor in charge, the only place where Lena could find her hosts was the waiting room just before the exit, and so the Claymore simply decided to move toward them; besides, she could hear their voices from here.
Few large steps later and the Claymore was already out her room, moving toward the Asari couple that gently gave her such a quiet place to regenerate. Lena moved her arm toward the handle
"I still cannot believe this." The voice of one of the Asari inside the other room interrupted her. It was Sheir's voice, and it reached the Claymore's ears loud and clear. "These assholes of the corporates force you to escort a bunch of killers. You almost die under their fire and somehow survive a fight between a commando of Eclipse and that human specter's squad."
"Tell me about it." this time it was Alina's voice
"But the most incredible part is that she is among the specter's squad! And she saves your life to booth!" Again with Sheir, and this time her voice was laced with awe and desire "Tell me Alina, was she as good as we always imagined? No tricks or reconstructions?"
This piqued the Claymore's interest, so much that, against her usual behavior, Lena decide to stop on her track and eavesdrop the two Asari's conversation. They were talking about her after all.
"Even better! Their leader, that bitch that tried to kill her, had to use all her biotic power just to have a chance, and this left her entire team leaderless and exposed. That is how insanely good she was! A powerful commando had to go all in against her and still lost! Think about that for a second. I almost forgot that my life was also in danger for a moment back there, so enraptured I was."
-Wait: she was in mortal danger and she still decided to watch me fighting?- thought Lena puzzled
"And the way she fought! Only with her sword and yet as deadly as a Justicar! I know that I should not be so excited about all of this death, but the way she fight is simply divine. How could you not be awed by her: close and personal, no technology or strange devices, only skill and dexterity."
"I am just happy that you survived during all this mess: I also appreciate her fighting skills but that does not mean that I wish to be in the middle of a battle. I see enough dead people already with my job thank you."
-As everyone should be.- finished Lena -What the hell is wrong with that Alina girl?-
Lena had finally enough about all of this and opened the door. As already suspected by Lena both the Asari were sitting around a small table, but they both stood up the second they saw the Claymore.
"My thanks for the hospitality." said Lena to them with neutral voice "But now I must go: my commander is surely waiting for me.
Again, instead of being happy that a super dangerous person decides to leave them without harming them, both the Asari's faces lit with regret, perhaps even sadness
-Is there something wrong with their heads?- questioned Lena to herself -Why are they behaving this way?- still, she kept a stone gaze
"Is there something wrong?" she instead asked, calmly.
"You..you sure you desire to go away already?" asked Alina to the Claymore "It is not like you are disturbing us."
"I am under Shepard's order. I must go back to him." stated Lena plainly
"But" tried to rebuff Alina, enough for Lena to lose her stony facade.
"By the goddesses, what is wrong with you, girl?" snarled Lena back to the girl "I really cannot understand if you are incredibly naive or have a death wish: you end up in the middle of a firefight against an Eclipse commando, you somehow survive the battle and yet decides to bring with you a wounded soldier that you do not even know, putting your mate at risk in the process. Last but not least, when said soldier decides to move away without harming you in any way, you protest? Have you a pinecone in place of the brain?"
Harsh, but in all due honesty Lena simply could not understand Alina's behavior.
"What? But you….I" Alina stammered under Lena's harsh tone. Luckily for her Sheir was ready to support her lover.
"you do not need to be so rude, miss!" said Sheir to Lena "Alina is far too trusting, I will give you that, but your reputation precedes you Ripper. There is no way that someone like you, a famous gladiator and a soldier under a specter's authority would end up as a mass murderer."
The entire room became deathly quiet. Lena's eyes narrowed like a pair of fissures, glaring at the young asari couple
Lena's voice escaped as an cold whisper "How do you know about my past, or about me being at Shepard's service." Unknowingly from the two asari, the Claymore also closed his fists, ready to attack.
The answer was not immediate. Both the asari were clearly unsure about how to properly respond
"Well?" pressed Lena
"We followed your actions through the Extranet." finally answered Alina "We managed to find a lot of informations inside the dark web about specter Shepard's, mostly conspiratorial theories and whatnot, but among the filth there were some gems, such as a photo of you accompanying Shepard on Berkenstein during a gala with Mr. Hock."
"What!?" Saying that Lena was surprised by this was the understatement of the century "Let me see." Alina quickly obliged and opened her omni-tool, revealing to the livid Claymore an image of a scantly-dressed Lena mingling with the guests, a glass of champagne in one hand and a stupid smile on her face.
"I knew that it would have come to haunt me back." groaned Lena to no one in particular. Of all the moment, the photographer had to immortalize her just where she was distracting these disgusting parasites. "I swear i am gonna find the bastard who photographed me and tear him apart, piece by piece. And you pray, tell me" continued Lena annoyed "What manner of encouraged you to follow every single step of mine?"
Another silent stare. One of too many
"Answer me, girls." Now Lena's tone was icy, like the snows of the north
"We wanted to know" said Sheir "Mostly Alina, but I was also curios. We wanted to know what happened by one of the greatest gladiator in the galaxy." A look of astonishment passed through Lena's face, and this was not even the biggest part.
"You see, we both are your fans."
Now Lena had to let out what could only be described as a sight of despair. The Claymore knew about these nutters: people that for some odd reason elevate famous writers, artists, politicians and apparently also warriors to semi-divine status; they worshipped their new gods with reverent vigor, they collected photos or objects used by their idols and kept them as sacred relics, they created small covenants of like-minded individuals and wrote terrible poems in their honor. Hell, they even fought with insane vigor against any who dared to attack their self-proclaimed legends!
And Lena was in presence of two of them! No wonder Alina almost dragged her to her lover's hospital instead of simply thanking her and be on her way as fast as humanly possible; no wonder they both decided to let her inside without even truly complaining.
-Now what?- asked Lena to herself, unsure about how to react to all of this
"But is..is not like we actively spied you!" quickly added Alina fearing the worst "Apart for that photo found on the deep extranet, we know little else of your whereabouts! Goddess, I discovered that you were on Illium today when you saved me from that bitch!"
"Right, is not like we are a police agency. Inside all your fan-blogs there are a lot of theories about what happened to you after your disappearance but nothing more." supplied Sheir
But Lena's mind was already leagues away from them.
-I cannot believe about what I am hearing.- groaned the Claymore
"You were on Omega two years ago?" asked Lena instead, trying to find some answers "I never thought a pair like you as someone willing to visit that sewer."
"No, we have never been on Omega." answered Sheir "But this is Illium, a place where if you are rich, famous or lucky, everything is at your disposal. We were lucky: thanks to a friend of ours we managed to receive some keys for the deep extranet, a more secluded place of the web. It is such an interesting place, filled with web-sites and channels that you cannot find on the normal extranet and while we were zapping for something interesting we found you." Sheir's voice became dreamy for a second "I still remember it: it was your twentieth fight on the arena."
Lena grimaced for a second, making the math and remembering that peculiar day: in a way to spice up the battles, that day T'Von forced her to fight inside a lightless arena with dozens of broken tubes spewing out gouges of blue flame in a totally unpredictable way, all while fighting against a pair of Krogan berserkers.
The deafening, maddening cheers, the total darkness interrupted only by brief flashes of blue light, the roars of the Krogans, it had been and currently still is one of the most insane battle ever fought by the Claymore; and deadliest. It took days for the burns to disappear.
"The way you moved and fought in the pitch black of the Arena, the gracefulness of your actions compared of the krogan's clumsy attacks….it was divine to watch." Added Alina to Lena "A dance of death."
"After that day we followed your career until your last battle against that asari commando, some weeks ago. Then you disappeared, and no one in the channel managed to explain why you left. Some assumed that you finally decided to retire after two years of winnings, others talked about a scandal of sort, others about a secret child, you have no idea how many theories can spring up in less than a week."
-They do not know- understood Lena in that moment -They do not know that I was a slave under T'Von's grasp. They think I was a freelancer of some sort.-
Part of Lena wanted to spit everything at the asari couple; to tell them the harsh, bleak truth of her situation and destroy all of their stupid dreams, but in the end she refused to do so: what was their guilt? Being ignorant? Appreciating someone without knowing the whole truth? At least they were not throwing rocks at her for being a Claymore, or using her daughter as a hostage.
"I joined specter Shepard's team weeks ago. He made me an irresistible offer and I accepted it. Besides, his cause is far more just that some battle in the arena." half lied Lena to the asari couple
"So you are not Shepard's secret lover?" asked Alina innocently "And here I thought that was the reason for that gala on Berkenstein."
If look could kill, Alina would have been a broken mess at the floor right now
"I am not Shepard's mistress." Lena almost snarled at Alina "What in the goddesses's name are you implying?! We only have a working relationship, and that gala was just a...by the goddesses! Look who i am talking about our missions. Listen, it has been a pleasure to talk with you, especially now that I understand your strange behavior, but I must go back to Shepard's ship. I have a duty to attend."
"Oh." The tone was final, and even the girls understood this "We understand but….could we ask for a favor?"
"Tell me."
"Could you...pose for us for a second? We just wish to take a picture with you. The others will become green on envy. The greatest gladiator in the entire galaxy, no one will believe it!"
-Great! They want a portrait now.-
Some weeks ago Lena would have simply told them to tell them to shove off but, surprisingly for the young Claymore, this time something urged her to be gentle. After all Sheir and Alina were not a pair of lecherous bastards like most Asari on Omega, or bad people in general: they offered her a place where to heal, they thanked her for her actions (something never done by the humans back at the island) they behaved nicely with her….
They are asari yes, and Lena still hated Asari in general with a passion, but These asari are good people.
-I'm growing soft.- growled Lena quietly -This is all Shepard and Kelly's fault.- Still, she refused to kick them away
"Fine, but just one, is that clear?"
Alina literally squealed in joy as an answer and quickly activated her omni-tool, placing it near the table while activating the remote functions.
"Could you do an epic pose with your sword?" asked Alina, but a stern glare from Lena told her to not go overboard.
"O...ok. Simple photo." answered quietly
Both Sheir and Alina put their arms around Lena, never noticing the Claymore's distressed gaze, and smiled at the camera. A second later a spanking new photo was placed inside a locked folder.
"It is amazing! Ah, take that you stupid Klix! Thanks for everything, truly."
"I should be the one thanking you for your hospitality." answered Lena flatly "But you are welcome."
They exchanged some more pleasantries, but it was time to at this point. Still, both Sheir and Alina practically escorted Lena toward the exit, constantly asking her question about possible family, the desire to become a gladiator once again, her personal life, everything just to keep her around just for some more seconds.
They failed: Lena simply endured this last assault until they reached the exit, something that annoyed the young couple to no end.
The front doors were quickly opened and the calm, empty space of the factory greeted the Claymore, urging her to move.
"Again, thanks for the hospitality. Until next time." they were her last words of Lena for them, and they finally let her go.
"You will always be welcome here, gladiator!" shouted Alina to the Claymore, just a second before she disappeared from their view "Always!"
No actual answer could be deciphered from Lena body language, but if only They could have been a little closer, bot Alina and Sheir would have noticed a small smile making its way through the Claymore's face.
"I will remember that. It is not that often that I hear such a phrase."
Done boys and girls. As I previously said, this is just an appendix of the previous chapter. Didn't want to create a 10 000 words monster. It simply does not work.
Next chapter, still on Illium, but with a little twist.
Stay tuned.
P.S. the part about the fans and their fan-fictions….i am sorry, I couldn't resist.
